Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ OFF-ROAD AMA WisecolYamahaIYokohama GNCC Series: Round 8 ~ National Enduro Champion Jeff Russell (right) led the pack into the first water crossing at the Blackwater Larry Roeseler took the plunge; he's still seeking his first Blackwater win. Winner Scott Summers clinched the GNCC title for the third straight time. Summers repeats at Blackwater By Davey Coombs . Photos by Jay Chittenden and Kevin Croney DAVIS, WV, JUNE 21 or the second year in a row, Honda's Scott Summers blasted away from the field at "America's Toughest Race" and won the '18th Annual Blackwater 100 going away. The 24year-old Kentuckian also 'clinched his third straight AMA Grand National Cross Country title with his seventh overall in eight tries. "1 am totally pumped because this is title number five," said Summers, who also won the last two AMA Hare Scrambles National Championships. 'T was really going for it today, from the first tum to the last. It means so much to just win a race like this, let alone win a National Championship at the same time." National Enduro Champion Jeff F 14 Russell and Honda-mounted Joel Andrews finished second and ~hird, respectively, in the 531-rider field. West Virginia's own Doug Blackwell placed fourth, while Czechoslovakian export Jan Hrehor rounded out the top five overall. Class winners included Team Husqvarna's Fred Hoess in the FourStroke A division, 1981 overall winner Jeff Fredette in the 200cc A class, Kentucky's Michael Cornett in the 250cc A division, and local hero Tom Harris in the Open A class, KTM's Russell was listed at the top of the Pro class results after Summers was adjusted out of the tally as the overall winner. , Summers i\i sponsored by American Honda, HondaLine, Bridgestone, AXO, ~OO. Russell ended up second overall out of the 531-rider field. Oakley, Arai, Throttle Jockey, T-Pro, Camelbak, Power Mist, White Brothers, Tsubaki, Sprocket Specialists, and Honda of Bloomington. The Blackwater 100 was founded in 1975 by Dave Coombs and the Alpine Festival and remains one of the most prestigious and infamous events on the National woods racing calendar. This year's trail was more abbreviated than usual, as Coombs made strides to head off the environmental debate that has clouded the race in controversy for the past five years. The event is held on private property in the spacious Canaan Valley of central West Virginia, but it is a public access area for motorized vehicles throughout the year. In order to skirt the wetlands and mud bogs that dot the yalley, .the trail was routed through 18-miles of tight woods and tram roads, making the event more of a hare scrambles than in years past. Also, the notorious Route 93 River Crossing was avoided altogether in a crowd-control measure; an estimated 25,000 spectators attended the freeadmission race. "1 liked the track a lot without. the bogs," said Summers. "They are so devious that it's almost not as much a race out there as a crapshoot. You have to be lucky enough to pick the right lines lap after lap. Today it was all racing from start to finish." "It was a much more technical race than in the last few years," said Team Green's Larry Roeseler, now a four-year veteran of the Blackwater race. "The bogs used to make such a big d,ifference because not getting stuck was the key to winning. Still, today was definitely a demanding race." California's Roeseler tweaked his right knee in the early stages but still finished a career-best sixth overall. After a one-year hiatus the start of the race returned to the main street of the community of Davis, with riders lining up five abreast every five seconds. A new policy placed the 18 Pro class riders in the first four rows, followed by all of the A class riders and then the various amateur divisions, The fi~t row consisted of Russen, Hrehor, Team Green's Duane Conner, Honda-mounted Harvey Whitaker and ATK's Frank Ke'egan, who drew the pole position. Situated on the second row were Summers, Roeseler, . Andrews, and former Blackwater champ Terry Cunningham. The first obstacle the riders encountered was a knee-deep tributary crossing of the Blackwater River that was surrounded by several thousand spectators. Conner had'the quickest jump off of the start but nearly dropped his bike in the water, "Duane hit something under 'the water and came over on top of me," said Russell after Conner nearly torpedoed KTM's enduro champion. "That would have been one of life's most embarrassing moments for both us, drowning out in the first row with five hundred riders behind us!" . Conner kept his balance but not before losing the lead to Russell. The GNCC overall runner-up from '91 did not last long, as a lingering rib injury prevented him from completing the first lap. "1 tried to race but as soon as I hit that rock in the water I was hurting all over again," admitted Conner, who has had an unlucky season to date. "1 couldn't keep .the bike under control after that. People were passing me everywhere and I figured it would only get worse. Instead of risking more damage I just called it a day." Russell's time in the lead was also short-lived, "As soon as we got to the first tram road Roeseler used his wideopen experience to blow right past me," said the 28-year old Russell, "and Summers was right behind him!" Russell avenged the double pass at the nrst crossing of the Blackwater River just before the two-mile marker. "J.R. (Jeff Russell) definitely had the hot line through the water," said Roeseler of the second double-pass for the lead in as many miles. "Scott (Summers) followed me to the left while he (Russell) went way right. Before we , got to the opposite bank I was all the

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